Quick and Easy Breakfast: Crustless Chorizo Quiche (or Fritatata if you want)

Quick breakfast for me was a bowl of cereal and milk or grab a piece of bread, slather on cream cheese, a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Some days, it can be jam and butter or even the classic PB&J combination.  But now that you can't really buy gluten free bread here in the Philippine grocery, my dilemna is what can i prepare quickly in the morning with minimum clean up. Yes, the traditional Pinoy breafast are the fried meat or fish, fried rice--SInangag, and fried egg--itLOG( ___silog) but that entails me to pull out at least one pan, to cook everything in and scrub plus i need to get the rice cooking too. Too much work for a sleepy head like me. My answer? I make an egg quiche i can quickly assemble after waking up, stick in my mini oven toaster and it cooks while i shower and change.  

Crustless Chorizo Quiche

serves one

1 to 2 eggs, beaten (depends on your appetite)

a pat of butter or extra virgin olive oil

pre-cooked chorizo, crumbled (or you can substitute cubed ham)

salt and pepper

In a ramekin, coat the sides with butter or olive oil.

In the same bowl where you beat your eggs, put in the chorizo (or ham).

Season with salt and pepper.

Place the ramekin the the tray that comes with your oven toaster.

Turn timer to 5-7mins.

Now go freshen up and change for work while your breakfast cooks!

The result? a smooth custard like speckled with flavor explosions of spicy chorizo. A good way to start the day. My personal score: 9/10

Notes:

This is a very basic quiche or frittata recipe. You may make it with any left over meats you have in your fridge. For added flavor you map add a grating of  your favorite cheese on top. For a healthier version, you can make it using egg whites instead. 

You can also make these in muffin tins, just multiplying the recipe depending on the number of eggs you use. For a nice make-ahead breakfast throughout the week, you can cook this on the weekend.  These keeps well for a few days in the fridge, and heat up in the toaster (it may explode in the microwave).

Other variations you can do:

1.  Carmelised onions and bacon - the classic Quiche Lorraine

2.  Zucchini and cheese

3.  Tomatoes, bell peppers and onions - think Tex-Mex with some chili powder

4.  Ground beef, bacon and cheese - sounds like a cheeseburger!

5.  Or just plain cheese

Quick Dinner: Tomato Chicken Rice Bowl

As the the rainy season starts, I will eventually want a nice bowl of soup and toasty garlic bread. And naturally any form of bread using wheat flour is not allowed in a gluten-free diet, so is a nice hot cheesy pizza. Craving for something in between tomato soup & grilled cheese, and a pizza. I scoured by pantry and fridge for what I can whip up to satisfy my craving.

Here's what I found.

Tomatoes - I always have a can or two of Italian tomatoes on hand with me. Tomato sauce or Marinara is so versatile in coming up with quick meals I can cook after a long day at the office. 

Chicken breast - another staple of mine. Yes, it sounds boring, but think of the possibilities.. you can pound it thin, cut it to cubes, sautee it, bake it, and throw it in soup or a stew. And since it is somewhat bland, it is a perfect base as it can take almost every flavor you sprinkle on top of it.

Rice - as a Filipino, it is hard to not have a supply of rice. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even for snacks and dessert. I am grateful that rice is gluten-free which makes this journey of mine easier.

With these three basic ingredients, I came up with this fast under 15 minute meal.

Tomato Chicken Rice Bowl

serves 1

1 pc boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes

1/3 to 1/2 cup canned tomatoes (crushed or cubed are fine)

1 garlic clove, finely diced or you may use a garlic press

1/2 small white onion,chopped

a splash olive oil or a pat butter

oregano and thyme

chili flakes

2 tablespoons your cheese of choice, grated

1 cup rice, cooked

salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet or heat up your olive oil over medium heat.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Saute the chicken til it brown turns, add the garlic and onions and cook til garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.

Add the canned tomatoes and a sprinkling of oregano and thyme.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-5mins.

While the chicken and tomatoes are marrying flavors, you can heat up your cooked rice in the microwave.

Place rice in a bottom of your bowl.

Taste your tomato sauce, add salt and pepper to taste. 

Pour over the rice and top with your grated cheese.

If you want the cheese melted, you may throw the bowl back into the microwave for 15 seconds.

Let it cool a bit before digging in.. the cheese is hot!

The result? Yummy goodness with the taste of pizza sauce and cheese with the homey feeling of a nice chunky tomato soup. The rice absorbs the tomato-ey goodness and chicken provides you with a lean protein. My personal score: 10/10!

Notes:

You may add veggies as the chicken sautes for the extra nutrition. Broccolli, carrots, bell peppers and chickpeas would be my choice. I didn't have any on-hand with me so I kept it plain.

First Attempt: GF Banana Muffins 1.0

Since my quick breakfast of cereal and milk is now a no-no, I researched what I can quickly grab in the morning for work that needs minimal cooking. Muffins!!! I chose Banana muffins because it seemed to be like the logical easy choice. Bananas are cheap and found in  every grocery.

First, I used a very simple blend I came across on the internet of 3 parts rice flour and 2 parts cornstarch. I used it for my first muffin attempt.  The recipe was a basic dump and mix one, a good starting off point for a novice baker like me.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups gluten-free flour blend

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (i used maple syrup)

6 ripe bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS:

 Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

 In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs, maple syrup and mashed bananas until well blended. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture; mix until batter is just moist. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the muffin comes out clean. 

The result? I was quite happy with it, though it had a grainy texture, which can be attributed to the flour blend used. Next time, I will try adding tapioca and potato starch to balance out the gritty mouth feel of the rice flour.  My personal score: 7/10.

Notes for next time:

1. tweak my GF flour blend

2. swirling in blueberry or strawberry jam will make it look and taste more exciting

3. add chocolate chips or cacao nibs perhaps?
4. a handful of nuts for a nice crunch.

Why did I go gluten-free?

I came across the idea of going gluten free when I was suffering a really bad case of GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease). I read that my "occasional" beer intake and my love of things spicy has paid its toll on my gut. Several years ago, I remember reading an article that Elisabeth Hasselbeck (of Survivor: Australia and The View fame) got diagnosed with this little known condition called celiac disease. I quickly researched on it and found out that I shared quite a number of symptoms with her - reflux, constant unexplained tiredness and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). I didn't pay attention to it too much because it seemed a little too complicated for me at that time. And not to mention I told myself.. these Americans are too overly concerned about these little things and shrugged the whole thing off as a "first world" problem.

Fast forward a couple of years later, I was reminded about celiac disease when my boyfriend E was experiencing digestion problems, and was taking supplements to help him with no relief.  He asked me if I heard about this condition he came across on the web which may explain his health problems. Ding ding! I suddenly remembered what I'd read about celiac disease before. And this time around, being the supportive girlfriend, I decided to go gluten free as well.

My main concern about going gluten-free was that I had to say goodbye to my Italian staple-pasta, bread, my quick go-to meal of cereal and milk and of course dessert-cakes, cupcakes, brownies - all those stick-to-your-teeth sweet bites. And oh, not to mention I can hardly go to any fastfood joint for my burgers. Wah... seems too overwhelming that most of our everyday food contains flour - the main source of gluten in everyone's diet. What did I get myself into?

But I'm determined to not miss out on my love for food. I have been cooking my own meals at home and for friends (even managed a whole Thanksgiving spread on my own) before, but baking?? I steered clear away from it. I hated the measuring and waiting time, not to mention if you make a mistake, you cannot salvage it, unlike cooking a pasta sauce, you can tweak the flavors up to the end just before serving it.

The  main purpose of this is to document my journey of going gluten free, particularly on baking. Cooking gluten free is fairly easy, but how can one live without bread - both savory and sweet? It has only been two weeks since I have ventured into gluten-free baking, and I have to say I am truly enjoying my experience so far.

*Disclaimer*I have not been medically diagnosed by a doctor about having gluten intolerance or celiac disease, I am merely doing this for my own benefit as I have been reading that gluten can interfere with the absorption of valuation nutrients from the food we eat and can cause intestinal inflamation. I told myself there's no harm in me trying this out. If i can eat healthier, there is definitely a bonus to this gluten free thing.